In the case of a draining wound, a transparent dressing, such as POLYSKIN (a trademark of the Kendall Company, Boston, Massachusetts for a thin elastomeric film carrying a layer of a medical grade pressure-sensitive adhesive) provides certain advantages such as a bacterial barrier, and a barrier to fluid. These advantages apply both to the case of protecting the wound from outside contaminants and protecting the patient's healthy skin from the wound exudate. In addition, such a dressing maintains a moist environment where desiccation can be detrimental. However, such dressings do not have the ability to handle wound fluid. Thus, the fluid builds up in a pressure bubble beneath the dressing, which tends to undermine the adhesive seal to the skin which increases the possibility of contamination to the wound by skin organisms.